Arturo's Story: Getting Support for Making a Change

Arturo's story

The
neighbors can set their clocks by Arturo and his wife, Rosa. Every morning at
6:30 a.m. and every evening at 6:30 p.m., they walk out their front door for
their 30-minute walk.

"It's kind of a neighborhood joke," Arturo,
58, says. "People literally look at their watch and laugh
when we go by."

But the walks themselves are no joke. They've
been a part of Arturo's life for 2 years now. And he thinks they may be saving
his life.

"I don't think it's too dramatic to say that. My blood
pressure is under control now, and that was not the case 2 years ago," he
says.

That's when Arturo was diagnosed with
high blood pressure. He started taking medicines—and still
takes them—but medicines didn't seem to be quite enough.

"I was
overweight, and I never exercised," says Arturo. "And my
diet was not healthy."

Arturo says he tried
to change his diet and his activity level on his own, but he couldn't
stay with it. So he asked Rosa for help.

"It
was just the support I needed," he says. Rosa told him it
was time for both of them to lose weight and get healthier. They joined a
weight-loss program together and learned how to create great-tasting, low-fat,
low-calorie meals.

"We have been married for 30 years, and she is
my best friend," says Arturo. "As soon as I mentioned that
I needed help, she got out a pen and some paper and started writing out a
walking schedule."

They took 15-minute walks at first. They
gradually built up to 30 minutes twice a day, and they're now working toward 45
minutes.

Today, both Arturo and Rosa are at a healthy weight.

"Do I have advice? Yes, I would say that if you are trying to
change some of your habits in order to control your blood pressure, you should
ask for help from your family. Or maybe from a friend. I cannot tell you how
much easier it is to go on my walks every day because of my wife. Even when I'm
feeling kind of lazy, I feel like she is counting on me, so I do it for her as
well as for me."

And the commitment they have to each other has
paid off. "I feel better than I have in years," Arturo
says.

At a recent doctor's visit, he got the
best news yet: He gets to cut back on his blood pressure medicine because he's
doing so well.

This story is based on information gathered from many people facing this health issue.

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